by Leah Stone
Documentaries can be brilliant. They can, at times, be even better than fiction because, although fictional films are entertaining and they place you into another reality, into other people’s shoes and are for some a way from escaping or getting away from the real world, some documentaries can be so truthful, so informative and so breathtaking, coupled with the fact that what is being told is real, it can be a very powerful thing. If a documentary is done well, if it is interesting, if it is informative, shot well and focused on what it wants to say, then it could change opinions, mindsets. It doesn’t just have to be an informative, mind-numbing piece like the dull stuff they show in schools. No, it can inspire hundreds, thousands, even millions.
Documentaries can be brilliant. They can, at times, be even better than fiction because, although fictional films are entertaining and they place you into another reality, into other people’s shoes and are for some a way from escaping or getting away from the real world, some documentaries can be so truthful, so informative and so breathtaking, coupled with the fact that what is being told is real, it can be a very powerful thing. If a documentary is done well, if it is interesting, if it is informative, shot well and focused on what it wants to say, then it could change opinions, mindsets. It doesn’t just have to be an informative, mind-numbing piece like the dull stuff they show in schools. No, it can inspire hundreds, thousands, even millions.
Chameleon is one of those all-powerful documentaries. It follows the amazing story and work of Anas, a famous investigational journalist who works in Ghana. Some journalists just do standard reporting: They hear about the story, they research it and then they write about it. But Anas doesn’t do that, because most of the time, he IS the story. He started writing for The Crusading Guide in 1998 and is now the CEO and Executive Director of Tiger Eye Social Foundation. Very few people have seen his face, and he uses his animosity to his advantage as his high profile cases, as many of his investigations are focused on human rights and anti-corruption in Ghana and Sub-Sahara Africa, causing many people, including politicians, to want him dead.
The film takes a closer look at some of Anas’s biggest cases, however it always keeps his face blurred or covered in order to keep his animosity. The investigations we do get to see are very hard hitting and often controversial.
In one of the cases, Anas was investigating an illegal Abortion Doctor (Abortion is illegal in Ghana) who also has sex with his female clients before the procedure, claiming that if they didn’t have sex with him then it would be very, very painful. No matter whether you think that abortions should be illegal or not, watching the “Doctor’s” heinous sex acts with his patients via a hidden camera under a table, you cannot help feeling your breath catch in your throat or your emotions start to buildas he treats these poor, gullible women just looking for a way out as objects he can gain money from and have sex with.
The film takes a closer look at some of Anas’s biggest cases, however it always keeps his face blurred or covered in order to keep his animosity. The investigations we do get to see are very hard hitting and often controversial.
In one of the cases, Anas was investigating an illegal Abortion Doctor (Abortion is illegal in Ghana) who also has sex with his female clients before the procedure, claiming that if they didn’t have sex with him then it would be very, very painful. No matter whether you think that abortions should be illegal or not, watching the “Doctor’s” heinous sex acts with his patients via a hidden camera under a table, you cannot help feeling your breath catch in your throat or your emotions start to buildas he treats these poor, gullible women just looking for a way out as objects he can gain money from and have sex with.
In another investigation, it is discovered that some children (most of them born with deformities or disabilities) are being sacrificially killed as they are believed to bring bad luck on their families. Seeing the investigation for this, and how they managed to arrest them, you can’t help but feel horrified that there are people out there in the world that do that sort of thing. It really plays with your emotions.
His most controversial case shown, though, is that concerning Helen Jesus Christ, who set up a remote church and village and convinced members that judgement day was upon them and they could only be saved if they cut themselves off from the world. This also included the children being denied access to school and Anas saw that as a breach of human rights. It was a case of misguided religion and Anas received huge criticism once the small town was evacuated and destroyed.
The emotional cases and Anas’s tale of heroism and risking his life for the lives of others makes this documentary great. What makes it brilliant, however, is everything that encases it. The interviews with co-workers, with friends and family. Seeing him acting completely normal around his grandmother and when he visits his old school, and then taking on a completely different persona when it comes to investigations and reporting. The variety of cameras and shots used, from the over-the-shoulder shots made by a big, chunky professional camera to the grainy shots of the hidden cameras they use for investigating. It separates the drama and the cases from the everyday, and when the hidden cameras are used, it feels like you are there, a part of the investigation, you are the one in for an illegal abortion or visiting a town of people who believe that Jesus will soon be upon us.
His most controversial case shown, though, is that concerning Helen Jesus Christ, who set up a remote church and village and convinced members that judgement day was upon them and they could only be saved if they cut themselves off from the world. This also included the children being denied access to school and Anas saw that as a breach of human rights. It was a case of misguided religion and Anas received huge criticism once the small town was evacuated and destroyed.
The emotional cases and Anas’s tale of heroism and risking his life for the lives of others makes this documentary great. What makes it brilliant, however, is everything that encases it. The interviews with co-workers, with friends and family. Seeing him acting completely normal around his grandmother and when he visits his old school, and then taking on a completely different persona when it comes to investigations and reporting. The variety of cameras and shots used, from the over-the-shoulder shots made by a big, chunky professional camera to the grainy shots of the hidden cameras they use for investigating. It separates the drama and the cases from the everyday, and when the hidden cameras are used, it feels like you are there, a part of the investigation, you are the one in for an illegal abortion or visiting a town of people who believe that Jesus will soon be upon us.
Throughout the documentary, it feels like we are there, right next to Anas. Next to a guy who has been awarded the Heroes Acting to End Modern-Day Slavery Award (2008), prizes in investigative journalism, Journalist of the Year (2006) and the African Achievers Award (2013)
Anas isn’t just a journalist that lives for his craft, other people live because of it. That is what makes him and the work he does so brilliant, and being able to see him in action and to learn more about the mysterious Anas is a privilege.
Whether you are a journalist or not. Whether you like journalism or not. Whether you are interested in the kind of crimes that go on in African countries like Ghana or not. Even if you do not like the sound of this documentary and it doesn’t appeal to you.
Watch it. Not only is it entertaining and engrossing, but it gives you piece of mind. Would you be willing to risk your lives for a job, no, for your people? Would you be willing to go that far for any cause?
Think about it.
Anas isn’t just a journalist that lives for his craft, other people live because of it. That is what makes him and the work he does so brilliant, and being able to see him in action and to learn more about the mysterious Anas is a privilege.
Whether you are a journalist or not. Whether you like journalism or not. Whether you are interested in the kind of crimes that go on in African countries like Ghana or not. Even if you do not like the sound of this documentary and it doesn’t appeal to you.
Watch it. Not only is it entertaining and engrossing, but it gives you piece of mind. Would you be willing to risk your lives for a job, no, for your people? Would you be willing to go that far for any cause?
Think about it.
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